{"id":161916,"date":"2026-03-12T23:29:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T23:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/161916\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T23:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T23:29:03","slug":"a-conversation-with-joyce-njeru-irunfar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/161916\/","title":{"rendered":"A Conversation with Joyce Njeru \u2013 iRunFar"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can see a focused toughness when watching Joyce Njeru<\/a> of Kenya race, so it\u2019s not a surprise to learn that one of her mantras is \u201cqueens never quit.\u201d One of the world\u2019s best mountain runners, with accolades including three Mountain Running World Cup titles and a Golden Trail World Series title, Njeru comes from a small village in a country with a strong history of both elite-level running and limited access to resources for economic development.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Joyce Njeru at the start of the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent. She would go on to take second place. Photo: iRunFar\/Meghan Hicks<\/p>\n

Like many Kenyan runners, Njeru \u2014 even from an early age \u2014 saw the sport as a way to improve her family\u2019s financial situation. With a family that didn\u2019t always have the money to pay school fees, she was determined to find a way to contribute. In running, with which she found early success in primary school races, she says, \u201cThe dream was to change my background, which I can say wasn\u2019t that good. I just trusted that I was doing this for my future to be better, and not to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was determined from the start. \u201cI just decided that with the talent I have: You can do better, and your life can be better.\u201d From first going to Europe to train and race with the run2gether program<\/a> in 2017, to signing with NNormal in 2025, Njeru has experienced incredible success, as well as periods of struggle. Through it all, she\u2019s stayed true to that \u201cwhy.\u201d With the 2026 race season just getting underway and a lot of lessons learned in 2025, she\u2019s ready to embrace whatever the year brings.<\/p>\n

Childhood Running<\/p>\n

Njeru is the oldest of three children, and her parents sometimes struggled to make ends meet. Her father gathered wood to make charcoal, while her mother worked on a farm. Njeru would go help her father in the bush, but says she understood, \u201cThey are struggling so much for us to get the food and also to have clothes, so I just classified myself as a firstborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

This meant that even as a child, she says she faced the questions of, \u201cWhat can I do, or what can I add for them [my parents] to be somewhere else, and also to help the young ones that are behind me?\u201d Njeru continues, saying that after a day of working with her dad in the bush, carrying heavy loads on her back, \u201cI felt like this is not where we belong, and I need to do something else.\u201d She told her mother, \u201cOne day, one time, you will not be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru grew up in a small village in Kenya. Photo: Joel Badia Visuals<\/p>\n

When Njeru started running at school around age 12, she was naturally fast. She says, \u201cI knew that I have a talent that I can develop. I had to put more effort into it.\u201d Njeru\u2019s mother was also a runner, but eventually had to give up the sport because of a lack of support. Njeru says, \u201cFrom her, I got advice and support. I wanted to do what she didn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Njeru\u2019s primary school had about 350 students and competed with neighboring schools at track meets. She says running was \u201csomething enjoyable\u201d for her and that she was really good at it. She raced the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races and was dominant in the events. She says of her teammates, \u201cThey could know that we have somebody who is strong and can beat all the other students, and they were happy.\u201d Even at that age, Njeru understood, \u201cIf I develop [my running], that can change my family, my background, my life, and my future can be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving Up the Ranks<\/p>\n

After primary school, one of Njeru\u2019s teachers, who saw her talent, introduced her to a coach at a running camp where she could study alongside training. The program focused on track and cross-country events and sent runners to Japan to compete. While providing training, Njeru says the overall situation at the camp \u201cwasn\u2019t that good.\u201d But while there, Njeru met someone with connections to run2gether, an organization dedicated to providing European racing opportunities to Kenyan runners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru representing the run2gether team on her way to winning the 2022 Mont\u00e9e du Nid d\u2019Aigle. Photo: World Mountain Running Association\/Marco Gulberti<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me, there is a camp, and you can come and try your luck,\u201d Njeru explains. \u201cWe were just trying to have any other options.\u201d Njeru went to the run2gether training camp, and after excelling at one of the program\u2019s trials \u2014 held to identify talent \u2014 was asked to join the team. Of her friend who made this connection for her, Njeru says with a smile, \u201cHe really helped me. The run2gether camp helped me in developing my career, and I can say it was a good idea for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Njeru explains that prior to joining run2gether, \u201cI wasn\u2019t aware of mountain running. In fact, in my high school studies, I never knew about it.\u201d It wasn\u2019t until 2017, when she made her first trip to Europe to race, that she found the sport.<\/p>\n

Racing in Europe<\/p>\n

Njeru was focused on cross country when she first traveled to Europe with the run2gether team in 2017. The organization operates a facility in the Austrian Alps where Kenyan runners and guests live and run alongside each other, and Njeru was one of a handful of Kenyans training there.<\/p>\n

About her first trip to Europe, Njeru says, \u201cI was curious how I will find people behaving, how the things are, and more important, how to compete.\u201d She learned early on that she\u2019d also do some mountain running. \u201cI was just curious, How is the mountain running? How are the courses? How will I perform?\u201d The culture shock was real, but being surrounded by other Kenyans in the program helped. \u201cBecause we stayed all together, we can speak the same language afterward. It was just easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru and Philemon Kiriago of Kenya share a laugh at the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent start line. Photo: iRunFar\/Meghan Hicks<\/p>\n

Njeru loved racing cross country, and it suited her mentality. She says that for cross country, \u201cYou need that fighting spirit.\u201d She explains, \u201cIt\u2019s something cherishable, but a lot don\u2019t have the persistence to the pain. So I have to be strong, and also be persistent with the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long until she tried her first mountain race, the 2017 Gernkogel Mountain Run in Austria. \u201cI won. It was my first time racing in a mountain race. It wasn\u2019t easy anyway, but I really felt good,\u201d Njeru recounts. Soon after, she was second at the 2017 Val Gardena Mountain Run in Italy, and then won the 2017 Obergailtaler Mountain Run back in Austria. She laughs when she says, \u201cI think Thomas [Krejci, the run2gether program director,<\/a>] just decided, \u2018She can be a good runner of trail.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Njeru raced in Europe again in 2018 and then returned home to serve in the Kenyan military for two years. She says, \u201cI really desired to be among the forces, so I was lucky to join the Kenya Defense Forces.\u201d She explains that many Kenyan athletes join the armed forces, receive support for their training, and complete all military training while holding down a job. She says it\u2019s a way to \u201ckeep you moving in case there is something, maybe an injury or you just quit running, then there is another option.\u201d Even from a young age, Njeru wanted to be a police officer when she grew up, and the Defense Forces offered a good fit.<\/p>\n

Mental Toughness and European Success<\/p>\n

When Njeru returned to Europe to race in 2021, she brought more training, experience, and mental toughness, allowing her to excel in some of the most difficult mountain races. Additionally, she was still employed by the Kenya Defense Forces, which provided her with economic stability and reduced the pressure to make a living solely from race prize money. Njeru explains that many of her fellow runners can\u2019t survive just off their winnings, \u201cYou have to go maybe to do some kind of work to put the food on the table. It\u2019s not always easy because the kind of work you do maybe is farming, and it\u2019s always tiresome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru on her way to winning the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: iRunFar\/Eszter Horanyi<\/p>\n

Njeru says that with her return to European mountain running in 2021, \u201cI just got back with a mind less stressed. There is less pressure about, \u2018What will I eat, when will I get the money?\u2019\u201d Njeru thrived, winning the Mountain Running World Cup title. On her way to that world cup title, she won the Gro\u00dfglockner Mountain Run and Fletta Trail, and was fourth at the Trofeo Nasego.<\/p>\n

In 2022, she again won the Mountain Running World Cup by winning Gro\u00dfglockner, Mont\u00e9e du Nid d\u2019Aigle, Giir di Mont Uphill, and the Canfranc Canfranc Vertical, among other races. Then in 2023, she saw continued success when she won the Mountain Running World Cup for a third year in a row, placed third at the World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race<\/a>, and was second at Sierre-Zinal.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru finishes the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race in third place. Photo: iRunFar\/Meghan Hicks<\/p>\n

In 2024, she won the Golden Trail World Series overall, winning the Broken Arrow Ascent and 23k and Mammoth Trailfest in the U.S. along the way. Her skyrocket trajectory perhaps reached its first major crest in 2025 when Njeru signed with the brand NNormal.<\/p>\n

Njeru credits much of her mental toughness to her past and continues to draw on it when times are difficult. \u201cI can say from whatever I passed through when I was young and all that I saw with my eyes, whatever you pass through always builds you up to stay focused. To have that big dream, it\u2019s like you have some kind of craving, like you need to do something good, and you\u2019re capable of doing it.\u201d She continues, \u201cYou just have that persistence and to motivate yourself because we always say, \u2018No pain, no gain.\u2019 With the training, you must sacrifice yourself to get the success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru running powerfully to second place at the 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent. Photo: iRunFar\/Eszter Horanyi<\/p>\n

Mountain Running in Kenya<\/p>\n

Njeru now splits her time between Kenya and Europe. During the racing off-season, she lives in Kenya, close enough to where she grew up that she can go home some weekends. While Kenya has a deep and rich running culture, much of it remains focused on road and track racing, and Njeru often trains alone.<\/p>\n

She says, \u201cWhen you try to tell [other runners], \u2018Just come and do the training for trail and mountain,\u2019 there is a kind of negativity. You will find a big group doing the road race training, and also the marathon and the track. But when it comes to trail running, there is extra you have to do to be on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru celebrates a win at the 2024 Val Bregaglia Trail, part of that year\u2019s Mountain Running World Cup Final. Photo: iRunFar\/Meghan Hicks<\/p>\n

Njeru often trains only with someone who\u2019s there to help set the pace of a workout. Each day, they review her prescribed training and decide on a route that best mimics her specific training needs. She says, \u201cWhen you come to Kenya, it\u2019s just an example, not actual, real mountains.\u201d Still, she values the community and notes that while her competitors in other parts of the world may have access to better training grounds, she sees how far apart they live from each other, and she appreciates having fellow runners nearby.<\/p>\n

Looking to the Future<\/p>\n

Njeru\u2019s racing in 2025 proved more difficult than the preceding years. At the 2025 Kobe Trail Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) race in Japan, she was in the lead until she went off course and ended up in sixth place. In the Jinshanling Great Wall race in China, also a GTWS race, she DNFed, and she didn\u2019t finish the GTWS Il Golfo dell\u2019Isola Trail in Italy three weeks later.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until the Broken Arrow Skyraces in the U.S. in June that things started to turn around. She placed second in the wind-shortened ascent race<\/a> to start the weekend, and she lined up for the 23k event a couple days later with confidence. She says, \u201cI was like, Joyce, this is the race. Just relax and do what you need to, and believe in yourself.\u201d She went on to win<\/a>\u00a0and have a strong second half of the season, including a fourth place at the World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race<\/a>, and a fifth in the GTWS.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru climbing to fourth place at the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race. Photo: iRunFar\/Eszter Horanyi<\/p>\n

She says of the season, \u201cI learned sometimes things don\u2019t go the way we want. I learned you can start from anywhere. I learned that being focused and remaining on the target is much more important.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Njeru herself says, \u201cQueens never quit,\u201d and whatever 2026 brings, Njeru will bring her trademark toughness and dedication to all the races she lines up for. She knows her \u201cwhy,\u201d she believes in herself, and she knows that her running will continue to change her life.<\/p>\n

\"Joyce<\/a><\/p>\n

Njeru descends during the first lap of the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race. Photo: iRunFar\/Eszter Horanyi<\/p>\n

Call for Comments<\/p>\n

Do you have a Joyce Njeru story you can share?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You can see a focused toughness when watching Joyce Njeru of Kenya race, so it\u2019s not a surprise…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[66765,9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-161916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-joyce-njeru","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}